In a principal aspect the present invention relates to a tool useful for the removal of molding and/or name plates from various items such as motor vehicles in order to effect repair and/or replacement.
When repairing the body of a damaged motor vehicle, it is often necessary to remove the name plates or the molding which is attached to the body sheet metal typically by means of some adhesive. The methodology for removal of such items has been dependent upon the use of chisel-type devices. Such devices are exemplified by a tool offered by Steck Manufacturing Co., Product No. 59890 and 3M Company, Product No. 051135-08978. These tools typically include a rod with one end configured to receive a pneumatic drive tool and the opposite end attached to a blade. In use, the tool is driven by the pneumatic driving tool and the blade is caused to undercut the molding or name plate from a vehicle body. These devices may include a blade which is permanently affixed to a rod, such as with the 3M tool, or a blade which may be removable from the tool. U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,429 for a Tool for Removing Moldings and the Like also discloses a tool of this general type.
Such devices have been found to be useful and accepted somewhat in the relevant trades. However, certain aspects of the use of such tools are undesirable. For example, it may not be desirable to use a pneumatic driving mechanism for such a tool, particularly where the name plate or decorative item to be removed is small or requires a delicate hand operation to effect removal. On the other hand, to provide a separate tool which may be hand operated and another tool which may be pneumatically operated calls for extra tools. Thus, there has developed the need for an improved, multifunctional molding and name plate removal tool.